Pep Lijnders has today been confirmed as Pep Guardiola’s new assistant coach at Manchester City, an appointment which naturally has gone down badly with many Liverpool supporters.
Just 13 months on from leaving Anfield in tandem with his long-time boss Jurgen Klopp, the Dutchman is back in English football at the club with whom the Reds shared several intense Premier League title battles over the past decade.
That’s despite the 42-year-old previously declaring that he wouldn’t serve as an assistant to any manager other than the German.
How has Lijnders’ appointment at Man City gone down at Liverpool?
In light of Lijnders’ contentious appointment at Man City, The Athletic‘s Liverpool correspondent James Pearce has shared insider information on the reaction from a prominent Anfield boardroom member to the news, along with details of how several ex-LFC staff were contacted in recent weeks about the hire.
Guardiola sounded out Adam Lallana about his new assistant prior to the Cityzens’ clash against Southampton a month ago and also phoned Klopp, who provided ‘glowing feedback’ about his former right-hand man.
After Lijnders rang Arne Slot (with whom he shares a long-standing friendship) to inform our current head coach that he’d agreed to take the Man City job, FSG president Mike Gordon contacted the 42-year-old to wish him well and reassure him that the Anfield hierarchy would always be appreciative of his work in L4 and that it wouldn’t affect their relationship with him.
Lijnders’ new role will leave a bitter taste for Liverpool fans
Guardiola’s new assistant will always be associated with a glorious period in Liverpool’s history as a long-serving lieutenant to Klopp, and that shouldn’t be airbrushed from history just because he’s now employed at the Etihad Stadium.
However, Reds fans can’t be blamed for feeling scorned about Lijnders’ latest career choice, especially given the fierce rivalry which has developed with Man City, and of course the volte-face on his previous promise that he wouldn’t work under any other manager except the German.
It may also be a cause of concern among Kopites that, while Slot has made discernible tweaks to LFC’s playing style over the past year, his fellow Dutchman will have worked with most of the players in his squad and is therefore perfectly placed to help his new boss to target their weaknesses.
While Guardiola has a new right-hand man in his staff at the Etihad, his Liverpool counterpart will be on the lookout for an important addition to his backroom team to replace Johnny Heitinga, who’s just taken over as head coach of Ajax.
Lijnders is perfectly entitled to decide what jobs he wants to take on (Gordon had even offered him the chance to succeed Klopp as LFC manager), but he’ll know that by getting on board with Man City, his reputation among Reds supporters is set to nosedive sharply.
Fingers crossed that we’re spared the sight of him dancing on a podium with Erling Haaland, Rodri et al when the Premier League trophy is presented next May, as hopefully that presentation will instead take place at Anfield for a second successive year!
